Page 46 of Where the Shadows Land (Garden of Hope #1)

MAIRUK

M airuk watched, enchanted, as green light danced across Astoria’s torso, down her right arm and left leg.

The light faded and left delicate amethyst marks across everywhere the light touched.

Complex sigils stretched across her body, marking her as Mairuk’s.

The center of their chest burned as her blood settled into Mairuk’s skin and created the mark indicating they belonged to her, too.

The power of the ritual sent aftershocks through Mairuk’s body.

Their gills quivered in the presence of so much magic.

They dismissed the vines that held a still-limp Astoria in place and brought her languid frame onto their lap.

Grabbing their robe, they pulled it around her shoulders.

The movements tugged on the roots that kept Mairuk in place, but Astoria was clay in their hands, moving in whichever direction they needed her to get them both comfortable.

Her eyes opened, the pale green darkened by the sheer size of her blown pupils.

Tears stained her face, her pretty braided hair mused and half fallen from their rough fucking.

Her smile was so pleased it warmed their chest. She leaned into their hold and hummed her contentment.

They kissed her hair and she giggled against their chest, the sound so sweet and blissful the slight tension in their shoulders eased.

Covered in their marks and fully under their influence, Mairuk had never seen Astoria as beautiful as she was now.

Staring into her eyes, Mairuk found their home.

They hadn’t left Bostrai for more than a few days in almost a decade, but they would follow her anywhere she went for the simple pleasure of living in her gaze.

The way she wrapped herself around them, her soft breaths, and the thrum of her heart became their entire reason for existing.

Astoria’s life was tethered to Mairuk’s, and her heartbeat echoed in their chest as tangible as their own.

An awareness of her, like a beacon of light in the night, drew them to her.

If the blood oath was a gentle nudge in her direction, this was the moon’s pull on the tides.

She was their moon, and they were her ocean. Mairuk would forever reach for her.

“We are so lucky that you are ours, Astoria. You are perfect for us. A dream. A wildfire given flesh, and you have brought light back to our world. Every day, for the rest of our bound existence, we will do everything in our power to prove ourselves to you. We love you, Astoria. We are yours as much as you are ours.” Mairuk took her small, delicate hand in theirs, and placed it over their chest where her mark bloomed.

“I love you too, my monster, my savior, my sunrise.” Astoria sent the words into their mind, nuzzling deeper into their hold. Her fingers danced over the mark on their chest and smiled against their skin. “A fox skull?”

“The Spirit of Mieotsy decides on the marks,” Mairuk replied, a deep hum of laughter bubbling through them.

“I love it.” Astoria kissed the ring at the base of their neck, and their shafts twitched inside her. Astoria fell into another fit of giggles. Happy, sweet, pure laughter .

They held her close and breathed in slow, deep breaths. She followed their lead, easing back into awareness of the moment. Her pleased smile and sweet hums brought them back to themselves as they stroked down her back.

Around the ritual circle, the areas that were once dry dirt bloomed with new life.

Clover and wild grasses, flower sprouts and tree seedlings popped up from the ground.

The ritual—Astoria and Mairuk’s combined magic—poured into the soil and replenished what had long been depleted.

Life returned to the Garden of Bostrai when light returned to their life.

Now that they had Astoria, Mairuk would never be alone in the darkness again.

~

Bright afternoon light filtered in through the windows and highlighted every curve of Astoria’s writhing body.

Her small hands tangled up in their gills and pulled them closer to her core.

The breathy moans and soft, begging cries were an enchanting melody to Mairuk’s ears.

The new bond they shared sent every spark of Astoria’s pleasure into Mairuk’s mind, guiding their movements to see if they could pull a tenth from her.

She insisted she could not come again after the sixth, and they loved proving her wrong.

Astoria’s taste was pure divinity on their tongue, each rush of her release even sweeter than the last. Mairuk would never get enough of her.

Having their loktossi in a satisfied puddle, her eyes blown and hair mused, covering their entire being in her scent was all Mairuk wanted to do with all of their remaining days.

Their scents would become so intermixed, none would doubt who they each belonged to.

“Mairuk!” Astoria cried, her voice hoarse from how much they made her scream.

“That’s right, vixen. Come for us, let us taste our loktossi’s pleasure,” Mairuk cooed into her mind.

Her body obeyed their command, and she came for the tenth time. Her cry was a strangled mess of syllables that sounded only vaguely like their name. When her shudders eased, they pulled back, rolled to their side, then tugged Astoria into their arms.

She hummed against their chest, a rush of giggles rushing out of her as she settled in their arms. The moment was perfect, everything they ever hoped it could be.

Mairuk pinched their finger, certain at all the beauty, peace, and love around them was the result of a dream.

The pain registered, though. Astoria’s weight settled on top of them, and her panting breaths were warm against their neck.

Her small fingers traced the shape of the mark the loktossi bond left on their skin.

“My magic is stronger now,” Astoria hummed. “I hear the trees clearer. I swear, even the sun sings.”

“Some insist that it does,” Mairuk said. “Is the magic overwhelming?”

“No. Not at all. It feels right. Like I’ve come home to myself. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this at home in my skin, like I belong.” Astoria met Mairuk’s gaze, a warm, dazed smile on her face.

They kissed her nose, unable to stop themselves when she was so precious. “We are happy for you, our lovely little vixen.”

“I love you, Mairuk. Thank you for everything you have given me. You’ve given me life, hope, and magic. I’m forever grateful for you and all you have done for me.”

“It is us who should be grateful, Astoria. You have given us just as much. Out of everything, your heart is the most precious gift we have ever received.” Mairuk trailed a hand up her thigh and squeezed. “Can we show you the depth of our love and gratitude again?”

Astoria smacked them over the cap with her pillow as giggles fell from her lips. “Mairuk! You’re an insatiable beast!”

“Always for you, our love. Only for you.”

~

Mairuk stood in the center of the garden with Astoria at their side.

Bastian sat between their legs, his fluffy tail wrapped around Astoria’s calf.

Idelic waited several feet in front of them, their skin damp with their acidic ooze.

Cardilan, Leri, and Rowan formed a point in front of the rest, explaining to all those who came that they were too late. The human female was now claimed.

Rowan worked through the night and adjusted one of Astoria’s dresses to cover enough that she was comfortable, but also displayed the majority of Mairuk’s mark.

Considering it spanned from her right wrist to left ankle, with the bulk of it across her pillowy chest, it was quite a feat.

None who witnessed the amethyst marks on her body could argue with the magic that radiated off the newly bonded.

Though many disgruntled Ardeloks passed through, only a sage could unbind the magic of souls.

By the time dusk rolled around, the news spread enough that no others approached the open garden gates.

“We will stay through the next week to ensure you and your loktossi are not surprised by unwanted visitors,” Idelic said. “While these folk were reasonable, humans are in high demand and there may be some desperate enough to try to take her away by force.”

“They could try, but I haven’t missed a shot since I was fifteen. I only need to stall them long enough for Mairuk to get to me.” Astoria beamed up at Mairuk, trust gleaming bright in her green eyes.

They planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. “We will tear any who harm you apart, limb from limb.”

Idelic glanced between them, the vivid glowing white of their eyes sparkling. Mairuk never saw Idelic smile in all their decades of friendship, but the side of their mouth quirked up in what looked like approval. They nodded in Astoria’s direction. “We might learn to tolerate you after all, human.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Astoria said.

Mairuk chuckled. “You should. Idelic is particular.”

“What about me?” Rowan asked .

“Not fucking likely,” Idelic grumbled.

The group broke out in laughter, an air of ease settled between them.

Mairuk squeezed Astoria close and beamed at their companions.

For the first time in countless seasons, the garden was alive.

Their friends were near. All was well. They bowed in Idelic’s direction.

“We appreciate your support. You are always welcome here.”

“You have something precious and you are brimming with life. If any of those gathered here deserve peace and happiness, it is you. Our acid is a wonderful deterrent,” Idelic said.

“If they are staying, we will remain, too.” Cardilan gestured to the garden around them. “More eyes while word spreads is a good thing, yes?”

“Yes. Thank you all,” Mairuk bowed their cap.

“We will need to return to Bounoss to prepare for our summer stay. We will spread word as we travel, and hopefully deter any unwelcome visitors, too.” Leri clapped their hands, then pulled Rowan close against their side. “With luck, we will bring a second loktossi with us when we return.”

Idelic shook their cap. “One mouthy human is enough. We do not know if we could tolerate you with two of them.”

“You’ll learn in time,” Leri said.

Cardilan chuckled and put a hand on Leri’s shoulder. “Spirit be with you, friend. Perhaps in time, Mairuk and your successes with humans will be enough to convince us to seek one out for ourselves.”

“You’re all planning on what, stealing humans away and hoping for the best?” Astoria asked.

“Not all of us can be as lucky as Mairuk to have a human wander into our garden.” Cardilan’s shoulders slumped, and they sighed. “Though, when you say it like that, it does not sound good, does it? ”

“Not at all.” Astoria leveled a severe look at both Cardilan and Leri. “If either of you take a human against their will, you’ll find out just how good I am with my bow. Do you understand?”

Leri and Cardilan both looked toward Mairuk, but they shrugged. “We agree with her and will not stop her if you bring unwilling humans around us. Or, if she discovers the human was unwilling.”

“Ah well,” Cardilan sighed. “We are still considering if humans are worth the hassle or not. If we choose to search for one, we will have to come up with a better idea than stealing them away.”

Leri smiled down at Rowan. “We got lucky once. Perhaps it will happen again. We will only take one who gives themselves to us willingly, like our dearest Rowan has. Anything else is boring.”

“Good to know.” Astoria rolled her eyes.

“We will be surrounded by more humans than Rholctai,” Idelic groaned.

“Only while you’re visiting us,” Leri said. “It might be good for you. Humans are fascinating creatures, especially when you put them together.”

“Speaking of humans being put together, Astoria, are there any activities you enjoy? Books you like? I can bring nearly anything you can imagine, and a few things you likely can’t from the city if you’re missing anything,” Rowan said.

Astoria gestured to her dress. “Some easier to work with fabrics and detail leather working tools would help, if you can find them. More seeds for my garden beds would help too. Potatoes, if you can find them.”

“Easily done. I know just the Cosai to visit.”

Leri and Rowan said their goodbyes, then left the garden. Idelic took the first watch by the gate, and Cardilan wandered off toward their cottage. As the evening drew in and the distant song of crickets and frogs played in the distance, Mairuk led Astoria back into their shared home.

“Our companions are a colorful bunch and are not the best with humans,” Mairuk said as the pair wandered into the main room of their home .

“I doubt my friends would do well with the Rholctai, either.” Astoria wrapped her arms around them in a tight embrace. “They will learn, in time. All I care about right now is that we are safe, together, and happy.”

“Are you happy, Astoria?”

“For the first time in a long time, yes.” Astoria’s hands cupped either side of Mairuk’s face. “ You make me happy, Mairuk. I love you.”

“We love you too, Astoria. From now until our final days.”